Improving Safety for Urban Delivery Riders Through Hands-Free Communication

In many cities, delivery riders operate under constant time pressure, navigating congested streets while managing frequent calls and navigation prompts. Observations show that riders oftenhold phones with one hand or use non-riding earphones, increasing reaction time and accident risk.

As part of a practical initiative, we provided X2 Bluetooth headsets to200 local full-time delivery riders and encouraged daily use during working hours. The devices feature hands-free operation and noise reduction designed to filterwind, traffic, and engine noise.

Afteran average of 8 hours of daily use, riders reported they could receive instructions without removing their hands from the handlebars. Even in particularly noisy environments such asuniversity districts or dense commercial pickup zones with noise peaks up to 85 dB, voice prompts remained clear without increasing volume.

One rider noted that reducing background noise made it easier to stay aware of surrounding traffic rather than focusing on the device itself.

The takeaway was simple: communication tools designed for riding should reduce cognitive load, not add to it.